Rotary tool head for a continuous boring machine

ABSTRACT

Tool for a rotating head of a continuous drilling or cutting machine, mounted on a tool-carrier fixed on the said rotating head, driven in a rotating sweeping movement in a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the said rotating head, by the action of hydromechanical means driving a rotating rod coaxial with the said axis in a reciprocating movement; a knuckle joint with an eccentric axis arranged between the rod and the toolcarrier ensures that the linear movement of said rod is converted into a rotating movement of said tool-bearer.

Montacie ay 7, 1974 ROTARY TOOL HEAD FOR A 2,750,176 6/1956 Cartlidge299/80 CONTINUOUS BORING MACHINE 2,776,124 l/l957 Smith 299/80 PrimaryExaminer-Ernest R. Purser Attorney, Agent, or FirmSughrue, Rothwell,Mion,

ABSTRACT Tool for a rotating head of a continuous drilling or cuttingmachine, mounted on a tool-carrier fixed on the said rotating head,driven in a rotating sweeping movement in a plane passing through theaxis of rotation of the said rotating head, by the action ofhydromechanical means driving a rotating rod coaxial with the said axisin a reciprocating movement; a knuckle joint with an eccentric axisarranged between the rod and the tool-carrier ensures that the linearmovement of said rod is converted into a rotating movement of 2 Claims,3 Drawing Figures [75] Inventor: Marcel Montacie, Paris, France [73]Assignee: Union lndustrielle Blanzy-Ouest,

Paris, France Zinn & Macpeak [22] Filed: May 17, 1972 [57] [21] Appl.No.: 254,123

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 17, 1971 France 71.17770 [52]U.S. Cl. 299/85, 299/80 [51] lint. Cl. E2lc 37/26 [58] Field of Search299/80, 85, 86; 175/202 [56] References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS3,290,097 12/1966 Hlinsky et al 299/80 SHEET 2 [IF 3 PATENTEDMAY 1 I914ROTARY TOOL HEAD FOR A CONTINUOUS BORING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to adevice enabling the improved driving of the tool-carriers of a rotatinghead of a boring or cutting machine in a mechanically synchronizedsweeping movement.

2. Description of the Prior Art Indeed, the use, for drivingtool-carriers in an oscillating movement, of hydromechanical meansarranged at the axis of rotation of the rotating head, and moreparticularly of a double-acting jack cylinder controlling thereciprocating movement of a rack meshing with pinions fixed on thetool-carrier to be driven, is known.

However, it happens that this solution must be rejected in the case ofapplication to the boring of holes having a great diameter in hardground, because of the efforts to be transmitted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to be able to -benefit by that simplecollective and synchronous type of driving of the tool-carriers of arotating head, while bearing the transmission of the effort to thetool-carriers, the present invention proposes to use a knuckle jointwith'an eccentric shaft for converting the linear movement produced bythe double-acting jack cylinder on a rod arranged in the axis ofrotation of the rotating head into an oscillating rotating movement ofthe opposite end of the tool-carrier mounted on the head to the tool.

The present invention has for its object a tool for a rotating head of acontinuous boring or cutting machine, mounted on a tool-carrier fixed onthe rotating head and driven with a rotating sweeping movement in aplane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotating head by theaction of hydromechanical means driving a rotating rod coaxial with saidaxis in a reciprocating movement, characterized in that means arearranged between the rod and each of the tool-carriers for which theyprovide appropriate driving in an oscillating movement.

The following description referring to the accompanying drawings andgiven by way of a non-limiting example, will make it easier tounderstand the other aims,

advantages and'means of embodiment of the present invention,'it beingunderstood that the particularities disclosed both by the drawing and bythe text are a part of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a general view of alongitudinal projection of a tool-carrier mounted on the rotating headof a boring machine.

FIG. 2 is a partly cut-away front view of the part for driving the toolsof the rotating head of FIG. 1 in an oscillating movement.

FIG. 3 is a view parallel to the shaft of the rotating head, which ispartly cutaway along line III-III in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, the oscillating arms1, on the end of each of which a tool not shown) is or are mounted on atool holder (also not shown) are driven by a central rod 2 sliding onbushings 2a inside the hollow shaft 3 of a rotary head 4 rotatingbetween bushings 5. Rod 2 bears the piston 6 of the double acting jack 7whose cylinder 8 is supplied with oil under pressure through the fixedtubes 9 across the rotating connection 10, connected to the rotatingtubes 11 and corresponding thereto.

The arm 1 is mounted on the shaft 12 fixed on a part 19 borne by therotating head 4, and its connection with rod 2 is effected by a knucklejoint 13 having an eccentric axis 14 borne by the part 15 fixed to theopposite end of rod 2 to the jack'7 In FIG. 2, the large-diameterspherical knuckle joint 13 through which passes the shaft 14, rotatingin knuckle type bushings l7 borne by mounting brackets 18 fixed to thepart 15, is placed in the recess 16 of the end of thearm 1.

In FIG. 3, the degree of eccentricity of the knuckle joint 13 inrelation to the bearing shaft 14 is brought out. This eccentricityenables the converting of the rectilinear reciprocating movement of therod 2 into an oscillating rotating movement of the end of the arm inrelation to the shaft.

The rotating sweeping movement of the arm in a plane passing through theaxisof the hollow shaft 3 of the rotating head is then obtained by arotating shift of small amplitude of the axis of the knuckle joint 13 inrelation to an average position.

It is self-evident that any variation of the present embodiment of theinvention corresponding to the general definition thereof which has beengiven is included in the scope of the protection applied for.

Moreover, all the improvements and advantages of the devices known uptill now may be used. in connection with the means used in the presentinvention, more particularly the discontinuous advancing at eachreversal of the oscillating movement of the tool-carriers, enabling thepower consumed by the work of the tools to be made regular.

Moreover, due to the strength of the hydromechanical driving of thetool-carriers in an oscillating movement, each of them can be equippedwith two tools instead of one, said two tools being at a determineddistance so as to assign to each of them half of the section of the workface which would be assigned to a single tool-carrier whereas said twotools, thus used, oscillate constantly at the same distance from theiraxis of oscillation according to the principle of full time use of themachine: the cutting edge of the tool being perpendicular to the workface enables the tool to work in both directions of the oscillatingmovement of the tool-carrier.

4. means connecting said rod to said oscillating arm at a second pointthereon spaced from said first point thereon, said means comprising:

a. a pair of spaced mounting brackets fixed to the end of said rodnearer to the material being bored or cut when the machine is inoperation,

rod and the circular motion of said oscillating arm;

5. means for rotating said head about the central axis thereof while themachine is in operation; and

6. means for reciprocating said rod within said head along the axisthereof while the machine is in operation, whereby a tool mounted onsaid oscillating arm as above recited will be simultaneously driven in acircular motion in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of saidhead and in a sweeping motion in a plane including the central axis ofsaid head and rotating therewith.

2. A continuous boring or cutting machine as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe end of said oscillating arm adapted to mount at least one tool andthe second point on said oscillating arm are on opposite sides of thepivot by which said oscillating arm is pivotably mounted on said head.

1. A continuous boring or cutting machine comprising
 1. a head rotatableabout a central axis thereof;
 2. an oscillating arm adapted to mount atleast one tool at one end thereof, said arm being pivotably mounted onsaid head a. at a first point on said arm and b. at a point on said headspaced from the central axis thereof;
 3. a rod slidably mounted insidesaid head, said rod being slidable along an axis thereof which iscoincident with the central axis of said head;
 4. means connecting saidrod to said oscillating arm at a second point thereon spaced from saidfirst point thereon, said means comprising: a. a pair of spaced mountingbrackets fixed to the end of said rod nearer to the material being boredor cut when the machine is in operation, b. a shaft mounted for rotationin said pair of spaced mounting brackets and extending therebetween,said shaft lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said rod andbeing perpendicular to a line drawn radially from the axis of said rod;and c. knuckle-type bushings mounted for rotation about said shaft andplaced in a recess in said oscillating arm, whereby said shaft serves asthe eccentric axis of a knuckle joint permitting lost motion tocompensate for the difference between the linear motion of said rod andthe circular motion of said oscillating arm;
 5. means for rotating saidhead about the central axis Thereof while the machine is in operation;and
 6. means for reciprocating said rod within said head along the axisthereof while the machine is in operation, whereby a tool mounted onsaid oscillating arm as above recited will be simultaneously driven in acircular motion in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of saidhead and in a sweeping motion in a plane including the central axis ofsaid head and rotating therewith.
 2. an oscillating arm adapted to mountat least one tool at one end thereof, said arm being pivotably mountedon said head a. at a first point on said arm and b. at a point on saidhead spaced from the central axis thereof;
 2. A continuous boring orcutting machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the end of saidoscillating arm adapted to mount at least one tool and the second pointon said oscillating arm are on opposite sides of the pivot by which saidoscillating arm is pivotably mounted on said head.
 3. a rod slidablymounted inside said head, said rod being slidable along an axis thereofwhich is coincident with the central axis of said head;
 4. meansconnecting said rod to said oscillating arm at a second point thereonspaced from said first point thereon, said means comprising: a. a pairof spaced mounting brackets fixed to the end of said rod nearer to thematerial being bored or cut when the machine is in operation, b. a shaftmounted for rotation in said pair of spaced mounting brackets andextending therebetween, said shaft lying in a plane perpendicular to theaxis of said rod and being perpendicular to a line drawn radially fromthe axis of said rod; and c. knuckle-type bushings mounted for rotationabout said shaft and placed in a recess in said oscillating arm, wherebysaid shaft serves as the eccentric axis of a knuckle joint permittinglost motion to compensate for the difference between the linear motionof said rod and the circular motion of said oscillating arm;
 5. meansfor rotating said head about the central axis Thereof while the machineis in operation; and
 6. means for reciprocating said rod within saidhead along the axis thereof while the machine is in operation, whereby atool mounted on said oscillating arm as above recited will besimultaneously driven in a circular motion in a plane perpendicular tothe central axis of said head and in a sweeping motion in a planeincluding the central axis of said head and rotating therewith.